Resilient shoe-heel.



W. M. SCHOLL.

RESILIENT SHOE HEEL. APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1915.

Patented Mar..7,1916.

III

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Application filedM'ay 29, 1915;

ToaZZ whom it may concern.

Be it-known that I, \VILLIAM M; SorroLL, a citizen of theUnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Resilient Shoe-Heels, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in resilient shoe heels, and has for its general object to provide an improved resilient heel that retains the comfortability of the usual all-rubber heel, with advantages-of partial non-resiliency for efficient support of the foot, and of friction qualities distinct from those of the rubber.

Objection may be taken to all-rubber heels, as is done by some eminent medical authorities,on the ground that the resiliency of the rubber allows such yielding under the weight of the wearer as, through the resultant variations in distribution of the weight of the wearer on the foot-heel, is conducive to displacement of the bones of the foot and flattening of the arch of the foot. To wearers of instep arch supports, also, this too-extensive resiliency tends to minimize the benefits of the arch-support for the support does not receive the firm bearing that is, in many instances, necessary to its best effectiveness.

By my invention I provide a rubber heel that may advantageously afford rigid support to a portion of the heel area of the foot, while retaining such resiliency as cases the impacts of walking, and at the same time minimizing wear and securing advantageous anti-slipping qualities.

In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the shoe equipped with a shoe heel of preferred construction; Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing, schematically and exaggeratedly, the action of the heel under impact; Fig. I is a detail of a peg.

The shoe S, of course, has usually a leather heel-foundation h, of several lifts, and the rubber heel-element is applied as a thick bottom-lift. In the accompanying drawing 10 is the heel-element body attached to the foundation h as by nails 10 I prefer that the'rear extremity of the shoe-heel be comparatively resilient, and be made both durable, and of good frictional qualities; and to this end I preferably embed Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

Serial No. 31,137.

in the rubber body 10 a multiplicity of wooden pegs 11 that'have their lower ends preferably flush with the bottom of the rub berbody. They may be of any desired cross sectional shape and are shown as square. These pegs are distributed over a considerable areanear the rear extremity of the heel, and around the outer curve thereof, where the impact of the heel, in walking, usually occurs and where, consequently, wear is most rapid. Such wear they materially reduce. These pegs 11 preferably have their upper ends embedded in the rubber at a material distance below the upper surface thereof, so as to leave a layer 12 of the rubber for interposition as a cushion between the'pegs and the leather lifts'of the shoe heel. Also the pegs are-preferably inclined forwardly from top to bottom, normally to stand at'a slightly obliqueangle, rather than vertical, sothat,

as shown in Fig. 3, when the heel is struck upon'the sidewalk and: compressed, the pegs may the more readily tilt somewhat, thus reducing their resistance to the desired cushioning effect.

The forward end of the shoe heel, and particularly the inward portion thereof adjacent to the inside of the foot, I preferably reinforce so that it may be substantially rigid, in order that the foot of the wearer may receive firm bearing at the point under lying that portion of the 0s calcis, where an arch support (indicated in dotted lines at a) if worn in the shoe, receives its rear bearing. For such purposes I provide the reinforcement, specifically shown, in this embodiment, in the form of the vertically set wooden pegs 11 of suitable structure to extend clear through the rubber body so as to act as vertical, relatively non-resilient (as compared with the rubber) struts between the leather heel lifts h and the bottom of the shoe-heel.

While either reinforcing bodythe short pegs 11 or the through-and-through pegs 11 1nay be omitted with retention of some advantages, they combine to produce a resilient heel of very advantageous qualities, in its proper regulation of resiliency, its frictional qualities, its durability and its cheapness.

WVhile I have herein described in detail one specific embodiment of my invention for purposes of full disclosure of a satisfactory form thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes in der n STATES PATENT came. 7

tails of construction, design and arrangement may be made, without departure from the spirit of my inventionwithin the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A shoe heel element comprising a resilient body and a plurality of non-resilient egs located adjacent the forward inner portion of the element, the resiliency of the remainder of said body being greater than that of said peg-containing portion.

2. A shoe heel element comprising a flat rubber heel shaped body part, and a plurality of wooden pegs extending perpendicularly from the lower to the upper surface thereof and located only at the forward inner portion of the heel element to provide a rigid support without afiecting the resiliency of the other portions of said element.

3. A shoe heel element comprising a resilient body, a plurality of vertically positioned non-resilient pegs located adjacent the forward inner portion of the element to provide a substantially rigid support, and other pegs positioned at the rear portion of the heel extending only part way through the same from its bottom surface upward and normally inclined from the i 1 vertical..

4:- A shoe heel element comprising a flat rubber heel shaped body part and a plurality of wooden pegs embedded therein certain of said pegs extending perpendicularly from the lower to the upper surface thereof at the forward inner portion of the heel element to provide a rigid support, and other of said pegs being localized at the rear wear receiving portion of the heel extending only part way through the rubber from its bottom surface upward, being inclined from the vertical and increasing the non-slipping qualities of said heel element.

5. A shoeheel element comprising a rubher body and a wear resisting structure comprising wooden pegs extending only part way through the rubber from its bottom surface upward.

6. A shoe-heel element comprising a rubher body and a wear resisting structure comprising wooden pegs extending only part way through the rubber from its bottom sur face upward and normally inclined from the vertical. 1

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM M. SCHOLL.

In the presence of STANLEY W. COOK, MARY F. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

